31 Days of Organized Living: Maximize Space With a Storage Ottoman

Furniture that serves only a decorative purpose has its place, but it’s typically not in the most used rooms of your house. Enter the storage ottoman. For many years ottomans got a bad rap and were used mostly as college decor and foot stools in basement rooms or teenage bedrooms.

Those days are long gone and ottomans serve a multitude of practical and decorative uses. First, they can serve as extra seating when guests come over, or if you have a large open room with multiple seating areas they can be moved from one space to another. Next, if you have a large enough ottoman it can serve as a coffee table, as mine does. Finally, if you purchase one with a hinged top, you can use your ottoman for extra storage.

If you use your ottoman in front of a couch that folds out into a guest bed, perhaps you want to store extra bedding inside for when guests come over. In my front room we have a small storage ottoman that houses coloring books, crayons, and a quilt for when young children come to visit our house. Last year when we replaced our coffee table, we decided to replace it with a square storage ottoman instead. We liked that it took up less floor space then our rectangular coffee table, that it was on wheels and could easily be moved if need be, that it provided an extra seat for guests, and it also houses all our extra blankets.

Ottomans can be used at the foot of a bed to store extra bedding and blankets or out of season clothing, in living rooms or family rooms to store children’s toys, or even in a dining room to store table linens or large serving pieces. Wherever you need an extra bit of storage and the option for an additional seating area, an ottoman could work for you.

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